Cellular distribution and clearance of aerosolized dipalmitoyl lecithin.

Wistar-Lewis rats were anesthetized anc connected to a 3-MHz nebulizer which aerosolized 250 muCi l-alpha-1-palmitoyl-2palmitoyl-[9-10-3H]phosphatidylcholine ([3H]DPL) for 3 min. Appleton frozen-section autoradiographs showed greater than 4 times background radioactivity in approximately 30% of alveoli at 1 min and 2 h after aerosol. As tritium content in the lung decreased, it increased in liver, spleen, kidney, blood, and urine. Percentage of radioactivity from [3H]phosphatidylcholine in the liver declined with time, while [3H]phosphatidylethanolamine doubled between 2 and 12 h. One minute postaerosol 2,500 +/- 500 (SE) type I cells/mm3 lung and 2,500 +/- 750 type II cells/mm3 lung had greater than 20 times background radioactivity; 2 h later only 950 +/- 250 type I cells/-m3 lung still had levels of radioactivity greater than 20 times background while 3,150 +/- 600 type II cells/mm3 lumg now had this level of 3HIDPL. Corresponding numbers of alveolar macrophages were 450 +/- 250 1 min postaerosol and 1,100 +/- 200 after 2 h. Aerosolized DPL as a synthetic surfactant is hampered by significantly faster clearance from the alveolar surface as compared with normal in vivo DPL.